As we move into the summer, many are hoping that the spread of COVID-19 will naturally slow as more people spend more time outdoors in the open air and sunshine where transmission is less likely. However, it is important to remember that this virus is likely not going away any time soon. This is why it's so important to do whatever you can to support your body's immune system and strengthen your natural immunity.

With this week's Immune Defense Summit starting Monday, you can get a head start on boosting your immunity and protecting yourself against COVID-19 with this FREE presentation from Dr. Thomas E. Levy. Go watch it now, and you'll discover a number of effective ways to take immediate action and lower your risk starting right now. Or you can also learn more below...

Violets are one of my favorite spring flowers! They are so bright and beautiful in the bright green spring grass, and I love picking them to add some color to our spring salads. We happen to have many of them growing on our property, so it's easy to collect a handful or two in just a few minutes.

While I've enjoyed eating violets my whole life, I didn't know until recently that they actually have some interesting healing properties.

For example, both their leaves and flowers have mucilaginous properties, helping to moisten and soothe inflamed and irritated tissues. This makes violets a great natural remedy for illnesses that involve cough or sore throat.

In fact, as Rosalee de la Forêt at LearningHerbs.com explains, violets have actually been used to soothe coughs throughout history in Native American, European, and Chinese medicine. One double-blind randomized clinical study of children with intermittent asthma found that violet syrup helped ease and significantly shorten the duration of coughs.

Violet-infused tea, syrup, or honey is also great for soothing dry and irritated sore throats, and may also help to move congestion and stagnant lymph related to upper respiratory infections.

Since it's violet season, I thought I would share this awesome recipe for quick and easy violet syrup. It may be a good remedy to have on hand right now - and you can also freeze it for later use during cold and flu season.

As we move forward into what will likely be a long and slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, most of us are striving to find a new sense of normalcy in an uncertain and ever-changing situation. While the effects of the pandemic will likely be felt for years to come - both in our economy and our emotional state - there are some potentially positive effects that we can try to focus on.

One of these is the tendency of our human, caring side to come through in times of danger. Many communities are now banding together to care for the less-fortunate among them.

Another positive aspect is our ability to appreciate the "little things" in life, and find joy in small moments that we may otherwise overlook.

Still another positive is the fact that many of us are seeking ways to become more healthy and self-sufficient - whether it be growing some of our own food, learning to cook for ourselves for the first time in years, or taking charge of our own health, cutting out unhealthy habits, and learning natural ways to strengthen our immunity.

This summer's Immune Defense Summit online event comes at a time when this topic is top-of-mind for many of us. In preparation for this event, there are a number of helpful resources that you can access right now to help build up your immune system and increase your odds of staying healthy.

I will be sharing these free resources with you via email and social media over the next few weeks, but first of all, I wanted to share a very interesting eBook that I think you will find quite eye-opening. Inside, you will learn what the media hasn't been telling you about the coronavirus, particularly when it comes to how to actually protect yourself from viral infections like this one.

You can grab your copy here now, or read more below...

My, how things can change in a week...

I was just thinking how, last weekend, I served in the toddler room at church taking care of some cute little 2-3 year-olds. Other than an increased emphasis on using hand sanitizer, there didn't seem to be much discussion of the coronavirus, and from what I could tell, the congregation was approximately the usual size. The only alarming incident of the day was when a two-year-old escaped her parents in the crowd after the service and could not be found for some time. (Don't worry - after walking around the entire building, I was able to locate her and return her to her parents.)  :-)

One week later, church services and gatherings - as well as schools, universities, library classes, and sporting events - are either cancelled or being held virtually or at a limited scale. (Much to our sadness, my husband and I also cancelled his 50th-birthday trip to Jamaica which we had been looking forward to for many months now.)

As connected as our world is today, a global pandemic was just a matter of time so we should have been prepared, but it's still incredibly alarming. Thank goodness the virus isn't more deadly, as this could be much worse...

Even so, the disruption to our everyday lives is already startling in its scope. Kids are home from school, businesses are shutting down or cancelling events, parents are missing work, stores can't keep shelves stocked, the stock market is hitting daily lows, the travel industry is plummeting (and during the busy spring break season)... It feels like we're inches away from panic in the streets - yet the virus has really only just begun to spread in most countries.

Our job now, as a society, is to do our part to control the spread of the disease. The success of any proposed government action is going to depend on our willingness to participate in control measures. Thankfully, there are a number of things we can do to protect ourselves from the coronavirus and therefore slow its spread throughout our population.

As I have gotten older, I have begun to get very interested in the aging process.

What causes aging? Why do our bodies start to break down and wear out over time, when all of our cells are renewed on an ongoing basis?

Every cell in your body is replaced every 7-10 years, so why then don't we live forever? Why do we experience symptoms of aging like wrinkles, gray hair, memory loss, bone weakness, etc., and why are these symptoms earlier and more pronounced in some people than others?

The answer is rather complicated, but some evidence seems to suggest that while getting chronologically older is inevitable, the aging process actually is not. The fascinating video below discusses the root cause of aging, and how to prevent or even reverse these symptoms in our own bodies, so that we can feel vital and youthful no matter what age we are.

Read more and watch the video below to learn tips and strategies for aging better and living longer (and healthier) than you ever thought possible!

Diabetes is one of the most common - and most costly - modern diseases in today's world. Millions of Americans are affected by diabetes, and despite a proliferation of diabetes drugs and billions of dollars in profits to the pharmaceutical industry, there is no cure in sight. Obviously, our current approach to diabetes is NOT working.

However, there is hope.

With the right education and action, it is absolutely possible to change and save the lives of those with or on a path toward diabetes.

This is the subject of this month's Diabetes Essentials Masterclass with Dr. Brian Mowll, a well-known worldwide expert on diabetes. The Masterclass is available all this week, and you can attend for free.

However, even if you can't attend the live Masterclass, you can still download Dr. Mowll's FREE Diabetes Management Cheatsheet, which provides tested strategies to help you regain control of your blood sugar and reduce your diabetic response.

Click here to grab your copy right now, or learn more below...

Do you have gum disease?

Some estimates show that 90% of American adults over 30 years old have some degree of gum disease, and most of them don't even know it.

Common symptoms of gum disease include swollen gums, bad breath, bleeding or receding gums, and loose teeth, among others. Most of us just accept many of these symptoms as inevitable or "normal," but in fact, gum disease is actually a pretty serious condition. Research has found that bacterial issues in our mouths can lead to inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease, cancer, and more.

As with just about any type of disease, the further that gum disease progresses, the harder it is to treat. Prevention is always the best "cure," and reversing gum disease early on can help keep it from developing into a more serious problem.

There are a number of things you can do to prevent gum disease, and of course, it all starts with your diet. Eating lots of foods high in sugar or processed carbs can lead to problems in your oral health. By improving your diet and taking a few other steps to protect your oral microbiome, you can provide your gums with the opportunity to heal themselves naturally. 

Below are a few tips for healthier gums, as well as a simple all-natural tooth powder recipe that can help keep your mouth clean and healthy - without all the chemicals and other junk found in commercial toothpastes.

I was looking for some interesting content to post for you this week, and I stumbled across this video from one of my favorite functional medicine doctors. I thought it sounded interesting enough and thought I would watch just a few minutes of it to make sure it would be suitable to share on the blog... But when I started watching it, it was so fascinating I got totally sucked in and watched the whole thing! :-) 

We are learning so much lately about gut bacteria and how the health of your gut impacts your overall health, from physical to mental. As it turns out, gut bacteria may even be linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, ALS, and more!  This is a breakthrough idea, and it will take some time before it becomes accepted in mainstream medicine, but it has the potential to revolutionize medicine and the treatment of brain disease as we know it.

Whether you suffer from one of these diseases yourself, you know someone who does, or you simply want to reduce your risk, you don't want to miss this eye-opening video - especially if you use antibiotics...

As we have learned in recent years, gut health is closely linked to overall health. The trillions of microbes that reside in your digestive tract make up a substantial portion of your immune system, and poor gut health has been linked to everything from depression and Alzheimer's, to inflammatory diseases and even some heart conditions.

Taking care of the health of your gut is not only extremely important, but it's also something that you can do rather easily. However, certain conditions that may be negatively impacting your gut health are not all that easy to identify in a medical setting.

One example is leaky gut syndrome, a chronic digestive disorder that can cause an imbalance in your gut, as well as a number of other health issues from allergies to auto-immune diseases. In the guest article below, written by two nutritionists, you will learn about some of the common problems that leaky gut syndrome can cause, what triggers it, and what you can do about it if you suspect you may have leaky gut syndrome.

We often talk about eating healthy, but one aspect of diet that doesn't get as much press in the modern world is fasting. In fact, if you bring up fasting in polite company, you will likely get a number of horrified stares. Those who know a bit about health may even throw out a few arguments about blood sugar or the necessity of regular meals for good health.

However, there is a fair amount of evidence that fasting is not only not detrimental to your health, but may even dramatically improve your overall health and longevity. Many animal studies have found that when animals were put on a restricted calorie diet or a forced fast at regular intervals, they lived substantially longer than those who were allowed to eat whenever they wanted. The reasons for this have been debated for some time, although recent discoveries have begun to reveal some interesting causes for this phenomenon.